App Store brought in 3.5 times more revenue than Google Play in 2012

App Annie, a service that tracks revenue and growth for both the App Store and Google Play, has released their January 2013 index. Both marketplaces are doing very well and while Google Play saw more growth than the App Store, the App Store still managed to bring in over 3 times more than Google Play.

When comparing both app ecosystems, Google Play has grown tremendously with over 700,000 apps now available to consumers compared to the App Store's 800,000, according to App Annie and Bloomberg.

App Annie wouldn't disclose specific revenue figures because it sells that information separately to software companies that buy the data and analytics. While Apple has said the App Store has generated more than $7 billion since 2008, Google hasn't made such information public. Apple has more than 800,000 apps on its store, and Google has more than 700,000.

Apple has reported to average around $333 million a month since June to December, which is over 3 times more than Google Play. Apple also saw an increase in sales of around 20% between October and December which can probably be attributed to the release of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.

What's interesting though is that Google Play has grown 6 times its size prior to 2012, even though Apple still pulled in higher revenue. Apple's App Store has been around a lot longer than Google Play and has a very established user base but it shows that both ecosystems are doing remarkably well as coming into a brand new year.

Having used both you can attribute that to the fact Android apps tend to be free will tons of ugly ads added in to get around the pirating. Also it seems a lot of Android users are tight with their wallets not willing to pay for a well done app. I also hate when a developer releases an iOS app and then simply ports it to Android. It shows the developer simply doesn't care and just wants the revenue. Overall though iOS apps are loads better quality wise then the same Android apps which to me explains why Apple makes more money in their app store.

I'm not loaded by any means but I don't mind paying for a useful and quality app. I'm not a fan boy and I know Apple gets their 30% cut but is that any different than any other retail store and their suppliers? It's called mark up and last I checked capitalism is the American way. I think it is good for the app developers trying to make a living too in an ecosystem that wants them to sell more and make more money.

I totally agree. The App Store is apples number one priority and it should be. The integrity of the App Store has to remain at the top of apples list and this is why we don't see bigger iPhones or different screen resolutions and this has paid off as iOS easily gets the higher quality apps. Also apple has put a lot of time and effort into its APIs and making the iOS hardware always have top in class GPUs and this has attracted a higher quality app and the devs that code them. People seem to think it would be so easy for apple to just make a bigger display and if they don't they will some how face plant this year, but the App Store is one of the main reasons people stay on iOS and even android fans know that the App Store is much better than the play store especially when it comes to the iPad.

One difference is that Google Play isn't the only place where you can purchase Android apps. Apple only allows their store so it receives 100% of the revenue. A true comparison would be all Android app stores, not just one.

Most android apps are free, you can download android apps from different app markets besides the play store, and you can get a refund on purchased apps in the play store. Whereas, you cant get a refund on purchased apps in the app store, there is only one app store for ios, and most apps costs something in the app store. Its a no-brainer.